One of the most loving and powerful things we can do for ourselves is develop consistent contemplative practices. The phrase contemplative practice may sounds religious or mystical to you. And it can be both of these things, but don't worry. Even if you are not religious and do not practice any faith, contemplative practices are… Continue reading Contemplative Practices: A Post for Everyone
I wish I could say that this story about me accidentally hiding in a poison ivy patch is hyperbolic, but it's not. It is, however, a love story. It all began one summer when I was a camp director at a camp in Ohio. I loved being a camp director. In particular, I loved designing… Continue reading That Poison Ivy Patch: A Love Story
First, you should know that I did actually almost get stuck on a volcano once, but don't worry because it wasn't an active volcano. I'll come back to that in a minute. Also, this wasn't my first brush with volcanoes. I lived in Portland, Oregon when Mount St. Helens erupted in 1980. And I vividly… Continue reading That Time I Almost Got Stuck on a Volcano
I believe in expressing gratitude for things in my life--every day if I can. But I also believe in acknowledging sad and difficult things and showing compassion. Life can be really hard sometimes. When I focus on things I am grateful for, I better see all of the gifts, beauty, and treasure I have in… Continue reading What I am Grateful for Today, What I have Compassion for Today
Sometimes we hit bumps in life's road and crash. I now know that is normal, but I didn't always think this. What I Used to Think When I was younger, I thought that if I just did everything right, my life would go smoothly; I wouldn't have any problems and people would treat me fairly;… Continue reading When We Hit Bumps in Life’s Road and Crash
We can respond to our human pain with judgment or compassion. Compassion is always the wiser and better choice. Compassion starts with the understanding that we are human and not superhuman. Human or Superhuman? To be human is to be finite, which means that we get sick, we make mistakes, we fail, we experience change,… Continue reading Judgment or Compassion
Compassion: It is one of the most important, underrated, and meaningful gifts we can give to ourselves and to others. Compassion and Suffering Let me define compassion. Compassion comes from the Latin words cum (with) and patior (to suffer). This etymology suggests that compassion means “to suffer with” or to be “with suffering”. When we… Continue reading Compassion: A Way Forward Through Suffering
How we treat ourselves, what we say to ourselves, and what we think about ourselves tremendously impacts us. We are the closet person to us, and so if we treat ourselves in a continually hostile or cruel manner, it can lead to feelings of depression, anxiety, and worthlessness. On the other hand, if we treat… Continue reading Five Ways to Be a Friend to Yourself and Why This is Important
This post is about how embracing vulnerability changed my life for the better. To tell you about that, let me first tell you about me when I was younger. Needing to Be Right Once upon a time it was incredibly important for me to be right. About everything. I have a vivid memory of arguing… Continue reading How Embracing Vulnerablity Changed My Life
Sometimes your day is horrible, and you hate everything. Why Does This Happen? We might wake up feeling awful and miserable, and we have no idea why. Sometimes, on the other hand, we know exactly why we hate everything , but we still do not have any idea what to do about it. All of… Continue reading When Your Day is Horrible, and You Hate Everything
